


You Never Know

by mogujyu



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Love, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Light Angst, Love Triangles, Love at First Sight, M/M, My First Fanfic, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-09-27 03:02:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17154059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mogujyu/pseuds/mogujyu
Summary: Bobby was attracted to Hanbin for a long time even before they officially knew each other. He didn't know what his name was, what year or the department he was in but he knew his routine and habit very well. He didn't mean to stalk the guy. It just all happened so suddenly. Before he knew it, he was already enthralled.





	1. Just Another Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, readers! This is my first Alternate Universe fanfic. I wanted to give it a try so here I am. Feel free to comment! Thank you :)

Bobby was attracted to Hanbin for a long time even before they officially knew each other. He didn't know what his name was, what year or the department he was in but he knew his routine and habit very well. He didn't mean to stalk the guy. It just all happened so suddenly. Before he knew it, he was already enthralled.

Bobby and Hanbin lived at the same building, an apartment close by their university but they hardly knew each other. He first came to know Hanbin when he ran into the guy while rushing his way to the campus. The latter was on his knee, slouching with his pocket camera ready for action. He was taking a picture of a sleeping cat in the middle of the road. He didn’t even notice if someone was watching. Off in his own little world.

The atmosphere was nice with summer just right around the corner. The weather was perfect that day. It just rained the other night so there were puddles here and there along the road. The air was damp and moist. It wasn't too hot but not too cold. The sun was shining just right. Not too mention, the gentle figure of the person right in front of him. The slander shoulders, fair height, not too chubby but not skinny either. Sleepy eyes, silky black hair, white skin, and plump lips decorated by a soft innocent smile. He couldn’t see the whole face but he could tell that the guy wasn’t bad looking. He looked frail though, and Bobby thought if he was as much as to effortlessly push him, the guy would just fall. Bobby laughed quietly at the thought before he reminded himself that he was late for his morning lecture and ran as fast he could.

Bobby couldn't help but got mesmerized by what he saw. It was beautiful. Was it the view or the guy who he laid his eyes on for the first time? He didn't know which exactly but he honestly thought that he saw an angel. That might be too exaggerated but he couldn't stop thinking about the guy since then. He couldn't stop smiling that day. His friends, classmates and even the professors were looking at him funny but he was too lovestruck to care. That was how he came to know Hanbin but then, he didn’t know the name yet.

It was weird for him too. He never thought he would be this enthralled over another man. His life was and had always been about girls and he dated a lot before. Although he never took his love life seriously, it was love at the first sight for him.

/  
/  
/

There was one cafe near their university that Bobby liked to frequent. He would go there after class or when he just wanted to chill alone or with his friends. A few days passed after and Bobby was just hanging like any other day with his best friend in his favorite cafe when his eyes suddenly directed him at someone who just entered. His eyes didn’t even miss a second. That someone was the guy who he saw the other day. He couldn’t help but stare.

The guy was just wearing a casual tee and ripped jeans. He looked sleepy and exhausted with the mask hiding his face and his hair was a mess, but that didn’t bother Bobby at all. He still thought the guy looked perfect. His dumb smile started to show off again and his mind was immediately off to la-la land.

“Bobby! Bobby! Hey, earth to Bobby!” his friend yelled. 

His friend was getting sick of the lovestruck grins Bobby had been giving off for a few days then. And when Bobby didn’t respond to him, he hit him in the head hardly enough to bring his friend back to his senses. 

“Ow! What the fuck, June,” Bobby yelled in response while he brushed the pain off with his attention finally back to his friend, Junhoe. He could see that his best friend was clearly annoyed.

“Dude, seriously. I can’t take this anymore. What on earth did you see that could possibly make you all bubbly like this? She’s better be outrageously beautiful or I’m not buying it. Even I have never seen you like this. It’s weird,” Junhoe confronted his best friend.

“Why the hell should I tell you though?” Bobby decided to shrug the question off.

“But I thought we were best friends! We’re cousins for crying out loud. I’m your cute younger brother. How can you NOT tell me?” Junhoe raised his voice, complaining. He was loud enough that the whole cafe could hear him. Everyone was staring at them by then, including Bobby’s secret crush who was in the counter, ready to give his order.

“Suuusshh! Shut up! You and your loud mouth. Honestly, I don’t even know you,” Bobby hissed as he lightly hit the head of the younger boy before he stood up and walked out of the cafe in a hurry.

Junhoe started thinking. He was curious of what got into Bobby suddenly. On one second, they were having casual chats and then suddenly, Bobby was already gone. He wasn’t even sure if his hyung heard what he was saying for the whole 8 minutes he talked his mouth off.

“Hmm… Who could it be?” He asked himself. Whoever it was, it got to be someone in the room or Bobby would have not just disappeared suddenly like that. He looked around and then stopped at the direction where Bobby was spacing off to. The counter area. 

_Could it be the barista?_ Junhoe thought to himself. He was confused. The barista was pretty but way far out of Bobby’s taste. He knew what Bobby liked. From all the girls his hyung dated, she was just too flashy to be the one who had been driving Bobby weird lately. But there was no other girls in that area, just a guy who was about to take his coffee and leave. When the guy right there was in fact the girl Bobby was falling for, but of course Junhoe didn’t know that yet.

Thinking by himself didn’t definitely get Junhoe anywhere and not long after, he gave up and went home. He lived together with Bobby but his hyung wasn’t found anywhere when he got home. He decided to just shrug it off for the day and go to sleep. Bobby never got home that day though. He wanted to avoid the younger’s questionings until he became more sure of what he really felt. He thought of the possibilities of it just being a phase or something and it would probably pass soon. He crashed at his dongsaeng, Donghyuk’s apartment for the night.

/  
/  
/

Weeks passed and summer vacation was finally approaching. It was a week before final exams week. The week Bobby hated the most. He hated studying. He didn’t even know why he took on Social Science studies when he didn’t really like it in the first place. But there were nothing specific that interested him so he just took whatever. He was working part-time as a small model, nothing too big but he liked it. Looking good in front of the camera always came easier to him since it didn’t require him to think so hard. 

So today too, Bobby spent his day at the cafe. He had his books with him but he didn’t want to study. Instead, he was enjoying himself, playing games on his phone with his earphones on. He was trying to ignore the tense atmosphere brewing up in the cafe because almost everyone there was either studying or complaining about the exams. He didn’t even bother to look up from his phone for a split second.

When he finally lost his game and looked up from his phone, he was shocked to see his crush, sitting on the table across his. He immediately blushed. He could feel the heat he was feeling on his ears. He knew on what day and time the latter would go to the cafe and got an idea of how his schedule worked. As far as he knew, today was not one of those days. He hated how shy he felt but he loved how he got a nice view of his crush. He didn’t run into him everyday so he considered it as a gift and decided to enjoy it. And today, he wasn’t wearing his mask too. What a day. Bobby would steal a glance every now and then at the guy while distracting himself with his phone.

Bobby had not found out much about this guy he was crushing so hard on, but he noticed how the latter always wore a mask when he walked outside and how he never really tried hard with his outfits. He also noticed that the latter lived in the same building as him, how he didn’t like crowds and that he had two best friends who one of them happened to be one of his classmate, Yunhyeung. He could just ask for Yunhyeung to introduce him to the guy but he got scared. Maybe the idea of a guy asking another guy to introduce them to their guy friend is kind of weird or maybe that was just him. 

The latter was drawing something on his sketchbook. He loved the seriousness on the latter’s face. How he scratched his head when it didn’t go too well with his work. Cute, Bobby thought to himself. It didn’t take long before Bobby lost himself and before he knew it, he was already staring hard. Of course, the latter noticed it. How could he not? It was starting to make him uncomfortable.

“Excuse me, can I help you?” the latter looked up from him work to Bobby. He had a suspicious look on his face.

“Y-Yeah, of course. Sorry, I wasn’t staring at you! I was just interested in what you were drawing, that’s all. Don’t worry,” Bobby answered in panic. Lie. He didn’t expect that at all. Not a bit. But he decided to continue the conversation. He didn’t want to lose this one opportunity that probably would never come again. There was a brief awkward silence before Bobby decided to open his mouth again. The latter was still looking at him suspiciously.

“So, um.. Y-You’re in the art department?” Bobby asked. Stuttering with his words a bit. His hands couldn’t stay still either in nervousness.

“No. I’m studying Visual Communication Design,” the latter answered calmly.

“Oh…” 

Bobby lost his words. He was never like this before. He was always so full of words and never had a conversation ended this fast with anyone before. He was always the popular and confident guy… But what was wrong with him then? _Come on, Bobby! You can’t just surrender like this… Try to say something!_ Bobby scolded himself. 

The latter kind of noticed how Bobby was in an internal dispute with himself so he decided to continue the conversation for him, not knowing why he should. He smiled for the first time toward Bobby. It was an awkward one but definitely the smile that made Bobby fell in love at the first sight.

“You know, if you’re interested you can just move to my table and watch me work. I don’t mind. Just don’t be noisy,” the latter offered. Bobby definitely didn’t expect that one. He was so happy that he wanted to scream but the latter said not to be noisy.

“It’s okay? Thanks! I’ll take on your offer,” Bobby said excitedly then he moved to the empty sit across the latter.

“What department are you in?” the latter asked while continuing with his sketch. Back to his serious mode.

“Social studies. But, wow, what you’re doing is so much cooler. Is this a project for your final exam?”

“Yeah, it is. It looks cool but it’s a pain in the neck. I’m still brainstorming for ideas. And I still have to find an appropriate concept too. So much work…” the latter whined in low voice as he moved his pencil. He seemed pressured. 

_Maybe I should try to change the subject for now._ Bobby thought. 

“Oh yeah, where are my manners? My name is Kim Ji Won but my friends call me Bobby. How about you? What’s your name?” Bobby asked as if to lighten up the mood. He raised his hand for a handshake with a friendly smile.

“Uh, Kim Hanbin. Sorry, I don’t have a cool nickname like you do. My friends just call me Hanbin,” Hanbin cracked a little joke as he dropped his pencil and took the hand extended to him with a smile. That smile just got Bobby’s heart skipped a beat.

“Nah, you got a good name. It would be a waste to call you by something else,” Bobby shrugged in return with his bunny smile.

“Thanks, um... Wait, are you older than me? You seem like you are. I’m a sophomore,” Hanbin asked in curiosity. The tension in him had already melted when he took Bobby’s hand and his focus shifted to their conversation rather than his sketches. He was starting to enjoy his conversation with this person he just met.

“Yeah, I guess I am then. I am already a junior, third year. But don’t worry about the formalities. Just call me hyung and drop the honorifics,” Bobby answered casually as he rubbed his nose slightly. 

Hanbin had a good impression of Bobby. He seemed cool and fun, so different from him. He liked how easy it was talking to him. But he wondered why Bobby would be interested in him and his work of all things. He didn’t seem to be the artsy type.

“Okay, hyung,” Hanbin nodded with the smile that Bobby loved so much. Bobby could see how sleepy Hanbin was from the bags Hanbin had under his tired eyes. He couldn’t help but feel concern.

“Good. But now, don’t get too worked up on your work. You need to take a breather every now and then. I’ve been watching you. You’re too tense.”

“I don’t know though. This isn’t how I usually am. I guess I’m in a slump. I’m tired. Nothing has been going well,” Hanbin dropped his whole face on to the table as if he was giving up.

“Yeah, but you’re not gonna be here, stressing yourself out all evening. I won’t let you. Close your book and let’s go somewhere else.”

Bobby stood up and helped Hanbin up from his chair and help him put everything in his bag. Then, he dragged the boy along by the wrist even carrying his bag for him. Hanbin wasn’t even given a chance to say no. He didn’t even try. He just followed the older. Usually, no one would be able to stop Hanbin from his work like this. He was technically married to his work. Always glued up to his sketchbooks and he had like 5 of them in case he forgot one of them. But here he was, getting dragged by someone who he just knew 20 minutes ago. It was definitely weird for Kim Hanbin.


	2. Just a Coincidence?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of chapter one~ Bobby meeting Jinhwan and Hanbin meeting Junhoe

Kim Hanbin was known for being the best in his class and his year. He never disappointed the professors. Everyone in his department had heard of his name and his reputation. And the students who ended up in his group project with him would usually suffer from his perfection tendencies but at least, their hard-work would be rewarded by good results. Some students, of course, disliked him for being him but he never cared much. Haters just gonna hate, right? 

Hanbin never gave a damn. Unfortunately, he could no longer think that way for long. As he ended up in the same team with a group of students who mainly hated him. He started having headaches because unlike the others he had teamed up with before, they never listened to him. There was only a week before submission and nothing was near done yet. Hanbin was completely on edge.

_What did I fucking do to deserve this?_ was the only thing he could think of at the moment.

Hanbin never had a good sense of understanding. He had trouble understanding people, who in his opinion, was less gifted than him. He hated people who never tried their best yet complain about everything all the time. But he had a reason for his arrogance. Because at least, as a person, he always worked hard and diligently. 

Hanbin sighed as he walked to a cafe near the university. He couldn’t concentrate back at his room  
and the library was just too crowded because it was almost final, so he needed a change of pace. Hanbin never really went anywhere alone but he was running out of options of the places that he felt suitable to work at. But he sighed again as he entered the cafe. It was just as crowded as anywhere else. 

Hanbin decided to take the table at the corner of the cafe. He put out his sketchbook on the table, turned to a new page and tried to scribble whatever on it. Hoping that an idea would pop out in his mind. Although to his despair, it didn’t come so easily. 

It was nearly 40 minutes, void of ideas. Before he noticed that someone had been staring at him for a while now. Everything wasn’t just going as he wanted it to be that day. Not to mention the disastrous group meeting he experienced earlier that day.

“Excuse me, can I help you?” Hanbin looked up to the stranger. He couldn’t concentrate at all. Not that he had anything currently going for him but he had an annoyed look on his face but he tried to be as polite as possible.

“Y-Yeah, of course. Sorry, I wasn’t staring at you! I was just interested in what you were drawing, that’s all. Don’t worry,” the stranger answered in panic.

_Lie._ He was clearly staring straight to me. Hanbin retorted in his mind but he was too lazy to argue. 

Hanbin’s stress level was at peak and the stranger who was trying to continue the conversation with him was ruining it more for him. 

Seeing how desperate the other guy was acting, he decided to speak up first and offered to share the table with him. They had a little conversation after that. When he heard the name Kim Jiwon aka Bobby, he started to feel that he had heard the name before. He couldn’t remember where though.

To Hanbin’s surprise, the conversation that they were having managed to help him relax and he found himself smiling genuinely for the first time today. He started to like the older guy who called himself Bobby, enough for him to open up about his issues. 

He was surprised when Bobby suddenly rose up from his chair and started packing his things to his bag. Without having a chance to question him, he was already being dragged to who-knows-where. It was a very weird encounter for Kim Hanbin.

When they arrived at a convenience store near, Hanbin couldn’t help but laugh. _Why the convenience store of all places?_

Bobby could see how amused Hanbin was. He was so relieved that he could come up with something as simple as this on the spot.

“It’s time for ice cream! My treat!” Bobby said excitedly like a child. Hanbin couldn’t help but smile softly at the sight. He was dragged so abruptly for ice cream. Not that he hated ice cream and the random kindness his newly befriended hyung was showing him. It was very heartwarming.

After buying the ice cream they came for, they decided to enjoy it outside and chill out at a near park. They just talked about trivial stuffs like the funny stuffs that happened during the day and what their hobby was. It was a nice change of pace for Hanbin. He wasn’t very surprised when Bobby told him that he was working part-time as a model because he could guess it by how fashion-aware Bobby looked. 

Bobby was so different from him. As they talked, Hanbin could feel how open Bobby was. He looked so natural when talking, so free and fun. He talked so much about many of his friends. Hanbin didn’t mean to rude but he was slowly getting sleepy.

“And you know, one time, my friend named June-” Bobby stopped when he saw Hanbin was already yawning. He couldn’t help it.

“Oh sorry, did I bore you?” Bobby asked out of guilt. He just kinda went blabbering on and on without considering how Hanbin was feeling and he was supposed to help the younger boy relieve his stress. He started to feel like he was Junhoe.

“No, I’m sorry. I guess I’m just tired. It has been a long day,” Hanbin said as he recalled the argument he had with his teammates that afternoon. He didn’t want to remember that again.

“You know, you can tell me anything. I might not be able to help but I can at least lent you an ear. Heck, my ears, both, they are all yours when you need them,” Bobby nudged at the younger playfully. Hanbin just smiled. He didn’t show it in his face but he was moved by Bobby’s kindness.

“It’s just my teammates. They don’t like me because I pushed them too hard. I don’t even think that I’m being half as hard at them than I usually am to myself.” 

It took a short moment of silence before Hanbin was ready to talk about it, but he did it. He said it.

“Well, you can’t force them to be you. They’re not you, like how you’re not willing to back down because you’re not like them. Talk this out properly with them, okay? No hard feelings and just try to find solution together,” Bobby shared his opinion. Then, he patted Hanbin at the back gently. Hanbin didn’t knew why but he had heard the same scoldings for the last five days from his best friends but he never listened even once and always talked back. Yet now with all the drowsiness and Bobby there, everything just made sense. 

“Thanks…” Hanbin said with a drowsy smile. They both went quiet for a while, staring at each other’s eyes. Or to be exact, it was actually Bobby staring at Hanbin’s eyes. Hanbin could hardly understand why Bobby was staring at him so intently. After all, he was just a boy who understood nothing when it came to romance.

The short silence was cut off by a phone call. The younger boy hurriedly took his phone out of his bag and stared at the screen. Bobby took a peak at the screen before Hanbin took the call. 

A name was written on the phone, Jinan-hyung. He became curious at who this Jinan-hyung was.

“Kim Hanbin, why are you still not home at this hour!? Where are you?” Bobby could hear everything with how loud the other person on the phone was.

“Calm down, hyung. I’m just at the park. I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry,” Hanbin explained. He looked a bit annoyed. Well, Hanbin was no longer a 14 year-old kid. He hoped that his childhood friend, Jinhwan would understand one day but it seemed like that day would never come. He had a hard time convincing Jinhwan that everything was okay before he hung up.

“Who’s that? Your mom?” Bobby joked.

“Well, he acts like one. I’m sure you heard his voice but he is just an old friend of mine. He’s two years older than me and we used to live in the same neighbourhood. He babysit me a lot in the past so I guess that’s why he never changes how he treats me,” Hanbin sighed before standing up. 

“Then I guess I should take you home first then before he snapped from anxiety,” Bobby replied with an amused smile. Hanbin nodded in agreement and they started walking.

There was one thing Hanbin didn’t notice until they were halfway home though. _Wait, he said he would take me home first, right…? But why is he walking in front of me as if he knows where I live… Hmm? Does he know where I live? Did I told him?_

“Hyung, where do you live?” Hanbin asked in curiosity.

“What do you mean? I live at the same place as you-” 

_Shit._ Bobby froze at his track. He shouldn’t have say that.

“The same place as me? How did you know where I live?” Hanbin became suspicious.

“O-Oh, I mean your face looked familiar. I remember running into you once in the elevator before,” Bobby desperately trying to remain cool. Fortunately, Hanbin just shrugged it off like that. Bobby could only hoped Hanbin didn’t think of him as creepy. 

Everything went so well. He could tell that Hanbin was slowly opening up to him. Maybe that was why Bobby forgot that they just met at that very same day and he supposed to act like he just saw Hanbin for the first time.

When they reached Hanbin’s apartment, Hanbin thanked Bobby for the night before they waved to each other goodbye and Hanbin went inside his apartment. Bobby was frozen for a couple minutes, standing there like an idiot. He might not look like it but he was very nervous all night. He was happy though. Satisfied with what he had achieved in just one day until he realized that he should have asked Hanbin for his phone number. He almost wanted to cry at how stupid he was. But it wasn’t like they could never meet again.

Bobby returned to his apartment in good spirit and decided to call it a day. But honestly, he never felt happier than he could have ever felt that day.

/  
/  
/

Finals finally ended. Hanbin was chilling at the cafe where he met Bobby. He was secretly hoping that he would see him but so far, he lucked out. Jinhwan was at the counter, waiting for his turn to order. He was getting antsy because of how long the line was and the person who was currently at the register just couldn’t seem to make up his mind. Hanbin felt bad for his hyung but he hated waiting in line more than anything. He decided to just kick back and took his time to do some doodles.

“Hey, if it isn’t my favorite dongsaeng! I missed you, you know!” 

Hanbin suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind. He immediately turned his head around to see the owner of the voice and he automatically smiled.

“What are you saying, hyung? We just met once.”

Well, you never know, Hanbin. Bobby thought.

“Well, you never know,” Bobby shrugged it off with a laugh. And like that, the conversation just flowed. 

Bobby saw Hanbin from outside the cafe through the glass wall and thought maybe it was the perfect chance to ask for his phone number. When he finally got the number, he was smiling from ears to ears.

On the other side of the cafe, poor Jinhwan was still waiting in line. He got bored of checking his phone every two minutes by then. He was about to snap. When he turned to check on Hanbin at the table, he was surprised at the presence of another company. Jinhwan thought it was unusual because he didn’t know the person. He knew almost all of Hanbin’s friends. He always felt obligated to. And the idea of seeing Hanbin getting friendly with someone else other than him always kind of ticked him off.

Jinhwan had this complex when it came to Hanbin. Although he always thought of Hanbin as his little brother, there might also be something else and Jinhwan knew what it was but he just never acknowledged his feelings. Hanbin was too precious for anyone to hurt in his mind.

15 minutes later, he finally headed back to their table with a tray. A cup of ice chocolate for Hanbin and a cup of vanilla frappuccino for him. Unfortunately for him, when he got to their table, Bobby was still there, in his seat. He threw an indirect glare towards Bobby which got the latter startled.

“Hyung, you’re finally here,” Hanbin exclaimed when he saw Jinhwan came with their drinks. Bobby finally realized why the other guy was throwing him a glare and immediately stood up from the chair.

“Oh, sorry. It’s your sit, isn’t?” Bobby took the tray from Jinhwan’s hand and put it on the table. Then he took another chair from the next table and sit back down. Jinhwan didn’t say anything as he took the sit which supposed to be his.

There was a brief moment of silence at the table. Jinhwan was throwing occasional glare at Bobby. Bobby didn’t know where to look, he felt uneasy with Jinhwan’s glare. And Hanbin, he knew full well what was going on between the two but it took a while before he finally broke the ice. 

“By the way, Jinan-hyung, this is Bobby-hyung. And Bobby-hyung, this is Jinan-hyung,” Hanbin gave a short introduction. Jinhwan offered his hand for a handshake and smiled. He tried to be as friendly as he could. He didn’t want Hanbin to see him as petty.

“Kim Jinhwan. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh yeah, Kim Jiwon. People call me Bobby though,” Bobby took the other’s hand but the handshake didn’t even last for two seconds. It was quick. He knew that Jinhwan probably didn’t like him that much. Though he had no idea what he had done wrong.

“So you’re Bobby? I’ve heard about you from a friend of ours. Yunhyeung, he’s your classmate, right?”

“Yeah, we are. Wait, did he talk about me? Did he say anything strange about me?” Bobby got flustered because he was afraid that Hanbin might have heard something bad about him.

“No. I mean you’re quite famous in the campus,” Jinhwan answered.

Hanbin realized. He did felt like the name Bobby was familiar and he finally remembered that he heard the name before from his best friend, Yunhyeung. He was never a fan of gossiping so he never paid attention to the gossips his friend always very excitedly telling him and that was why he could barely remember it.

“That’s good then...” Bobby sighed in relief. 

“Don’t worry. Yunhyeung would never spread bad rumors about his friend,” Jinhwan continued. 

The next 30 minutes were calm and peachy. Jinhwan and Bobby started to get along pretty good and Jinhwan stopped glaring at Bobby. It was all good until the hurricane came into the cafe. The hurricane, Junhoe.

“Hyung! There you are!” Junhoe exclaimed the moment he stepped in.

_Oh God._ Bobby grumbled. Junhoe walked hurriedly to his hyung.

“Where the heck did you go? I thought asked you to wait for me.”

“Well, I did wait. I was just waiting somewhere else,” Bobby shrugged. He really didn’t want Junhoe to meet Hanbin yet. Junhoe knew Bobby very well and Bobby was the flirty type. He wasn’t the type to hide his feelings when his crush was just in front of him. Junhoe was bound to find out as long as he stayed there.

Hanbin and Jinhwan just watched the two of them bicker. It took a while before Junhoe noticed the presence of unfamiliar faces.

“Oh, are these people your friends? The name’s June, Koo Junhoe. Nice to meet you.” Junhoe smiled as he offered his hand to Jinhwan.

“Yeah, I’m Kim Jinhwan. I might not look like it but I’m a senior,” Jinhwan smiled as they shook hand.

“Kim Hanbin,” Hanbin shortly introduced himself as he nodded to Junhoe and the other nodded back.

“Do you want to join us? We can just move to a bigger table,” Jinhwan offered.

“No need! We gotta be going. We have plans. You guys enjoy yourselves. See ya,” Bobby declined in Junhoe’s place in a hurry. He gave Hanbin a little flick on the forehead before he quickly got into his feet and dragged Junhoe outside with him. Hanbin kind of melted inside for a moment. He didn’t know what the feeling was but he felt that his ears were getting hot. He watched as the two left the cafe. Jinhwan and him could only laugh at how Junhoe was being pulled away in dismay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all I have so far! Thoughts please, thank you :)


	3. From the Bedside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinhwan and Hanbin went way back but it seems like there's something that Jinhwan is hiding from Hanbin...?

Jinhwan saw it all. How Hanbin turned red that day. He saw the smile that Hanbin pulled when he was with Bobby. He saw how Hanbin’s eyes sparkled. He kept praying every night so that the day when Hanbin would learn of love could never come but he knew that he was stupid to wish for that. He felt like a jerk and a terrible hyung. But he loved Hanbin that much. He knew that Hanbin would never look at him that way but he thought if at least he could be the one who stayed by Hanbin’s side. At least, he could still love him even without having him.

Meeting Bobby triggered a nightmare in him. He wanted to like the guy but the jealousy wasn’t just helping. Jinhwan was getting less and less of sleep day by day, fearing something that he didn’t know for certain. It would be easier if he could tell Hanbin what he felt, but he was too scared of losing him if in case anything went wrong. In the past, he tried to forget about Hanbin and dated a girl who confessed to him, but the result wasn’t pretty. He ended up traumatizing himself more.

Summer vacation had started. Hanbin and Jinhwan both returned home for the holiday. Bobby told Hanbin that he was going overseas to visit his family for the entire holiday. Hanbin was a bit disappointed. He had hoped that they could hang out but he wasn’t getting what he wanted. They didn’t miss a day of each other though. Since they were always on whatsapp, chatting each other.

It was a very hot summer day but Hanbin insisted that he wanted to go to a bookstore. Jinhwan was against of it at first, considering how hot the air was outside. He hated sweating. He hated the stickiness that came with it but Hanbin didn’t want to go alone so he had no choice but to go with him. He always had a soft spot for Hanbin.

Hanbin was searching for a certain illustration book by his favorite illustrator. He was always all about art and he would never got bored of it. He could stare on one for hours and still be eager for more. Jinhwan was different. He hated books. Reading came boring to him. Comic books were different though. He would stare on the shelves full of comic books for hours and still hadn’t pick out what he wanted to buy while Hanbin would disappear to who-knows-what-part of the bookstore.

After Hanbin got the illustration book he wanted, he decided to browse around the literature section. He was interested in classic literature too. He loved the plot, the flow of the story and how every sentence in it always worded so beautifully and aesthetically. 

Coincidentally enough, Junhoe was also there that day. He was reading a book on poetry. Maybe because both were wearing their mask on, they didn’t notice each other’s presence until Hanbin accidentally bump into the guy, making Junhoe drop his book into the floor.

“Oh, sorry,” Hanbin exclaimed as he hurriedly helped the other to pick up his book and their hands accidentally touched. Hanbin picked up the book first and handed it to Junhoe. When he looked up, he just realized that it was Junhoe.

“Wait, aren’t you Bobby-hyung’s friend? June, was it?” Hanbin asked.

“Hmm? Uh.. Yeah, I am,” Junhoe answered in confusion. He clearly didn’t recognized the guy in front of him at all.

“I met you a few weeks ago in that cafe near the campus,” Hanbin pulled down his mask to reveal a bit more of his face.

“Oh. OH. Yeah, I just remembered. Couldn’t know that it was you with your mask on. Sorry,” Junhoe smiled.

“It’s okay. Do you like poetry?” Hanbin asked in curiosity as he pointed at the book Junhoe was reading.

“Yeah, I’m in the literature department after all.”

Hanbin was kinda surprised. He didn’t expect Junhoe to be the bookworm type, to be emotional enough to like poetries. His impression of Junhoe was loud and he didn’t seem to be the type who would be able to sit still to write or read. But you just can’t judge a book by its cover, huh?

“What the department are you in, Hanbin… umm,” Junhoe wasn’t sure what to call the other.

“Oh, I’m a visual communication design student and I’m a sophomore by the way,” Hanbin replied.

“Then, I should call you hyung. I am just a first year.”

 _He is just a freshman? Seriously? He looks like he is at the same age as Bobby-hyung…_ Hanbin got lost in thought.

“What’s wrong? Did I surprise you?” Junhoe laughed, amused by Hanbin’s reaction.

“I guess a little. Didn’t expect you to be the bookworm type and a year younger than me… And you seem very different today. You seem so cool today that I thought you were someone else,” Hanbin laughed awkwardly in response.

“Oh, do I?”

“Yeah..”

There was a brief awkward tension brewing between them before Hanbin decided to broke it off.

“Umm… I’m with Jinan-hyung today. If you don’t mind, do you wanna join us?”

“Sure,” Junhoe wasn’t sure if that was the best choice. He always started out awkward with new people. He wasn’t as cheery and loud as everyone thought he was. It just that if he didn’t pretend to be happy and cool all the time, he felt like all the negative aura could just get into him so easily but he would feel bad to decline the hyung’s invitation.

The entire evening went far beyond his expectation though. He talked so much with Hanbin. And to both surprise, Junhoe and Hanbin had so much in common. They both love drawing and writing. They had fun talking while Jinhwan was just playing on his phone. He had no idea what the other two were talking about. He just didn’t belong to their world. Jinhwan was in the psychology department. He was more interested in human’s behaviour and how the brain works but if he got started on science, he would probably just lose Hanbin and Junhoe on the way. Jinhwan now understood how Hanbin usually felt when Yunhyeung and him were having fun talking about things Hanbin deemed a waste of time.

When it was time to go home, Junhoe parted ways with them. Hanbin was smiling so contently. He met a new friend that actually connected with him. He had fun today than he could ever had these few weeks. Jinhwan could tell just by looking. It was a smile that he could never get Hanbin to show him. He had been with Hanbin so long but he still didn’t understand why he couldn’t make Hanbin smile at him like how Bobby and Junhoe, who barely knew Hanbin, made him smile so contently like that. Jinhwan had started to hate himself from a long time now. He felt like all he ever did for Hanbin was nag at the latter. He felt like whatever he did was never enough. 

Did Hanbin ever feel that way though? Maybe the nightmare in Jinhwan’s life had been Jinhwan himself all along. Maybe the one who was driving Hanbin away from him was he himself.

As they walked home, Jinhwan didn’t say anything. It wasn’t hard for Hanbin to figure out that the older was pouting. He was avoiding eye contact with him. Probably because he was technically ignored during the entire evening. The thought made Hanbin want to tease his hyung but he knew it wasn’t the right moment.

“Hyung, should we watch a movie when he get home?” Hanbin asked as he put his arm around Jinhwan’s shoulders.

“Why? Is there a movie you want to watch?” Jinhwan replied, trying to act as cold as he could.

“Yeah, let’s watch it together. I just rented it yesterday. I think you will like it.”

“Sure then. But at my place, okay? I have bigger TV,” Jinhwan replied, finally smiling and looking at Hanbin.

Hanbin looked at Jinhwan’s eyes and nodded with a soft satisfied smile. It was as if Hanbin was trying to cheer him up. Jinhwan always had a soft spot for Hanbin. The smile that Hanbin showed to him at that one moment, the drowsy yet sparkling eyes Hanbin had directed at him and the distance between their faces weren’t helping either. He could almost feel Hanbin’s breath. He could feel his cheeks and ears were getting warmer.

Maybe the one who was being taken care of wasn’t Hanbin at all. Maybe it was Jinhwan himself. This kind of moment he had with Hanbin reminded him of why he fell for Hanbin in the first place. Because Hanbin was no longer a boy. He couldn’t stop smiling at all that night. When Hanbin fell asleep on his shoulders, he decided to tuck him in his bed and watched him sleep from the bedside.

“I like you,” Jinhwan whispered as he caressed Hanbin’s hair. He kissed him on the forehead and then went to sleep himself beside Hanbin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is personally my favourite chapter even though it is kinda short. I'm always soft for Jinani. I'll appreciate your comment so please do below. Thanks for reading and happy holidays all!


	4. Love is Complicated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bobby realized something between Jinhwan and Hanbin but he wasn't so sure what to do about it.

Another term started, students were slowly adjusting back to their hectic lifestyle. Class ended earlier that day for Hanbin. If it wasn’t for Bobby, he would either head back to his apartment or go to library. But after meeting Bobby, his routine started to change. He didn’t really go to the cafe much before. The trips he had there were usually for Jinhwan. Hanbin didn’t drink coffee at all. But now he always found himself walking to the cafe. At the very least, he liked the ice chocolate they served there and he liked talking to Bobby. So why not?

Bobby was already waiting for Hanbin at the cafe by that time. He had asked Hanbin about his schedule and the moment the latter texted him that his class ended earlier, he quickly ordered for drinks. So when Hanbin got there, his favorite ice chocolate would already be ready for him. They had spent their summer vacation texting each other without actually meeting each other. Bobby only got back to Korea a few days before the term started. Whether they were conscious of it or not, they definitely missed each other.

The moment Hanbin stepped inside, Bobby was already smiling wide. He waved to Hanbin and the younger boy excitedly ran to him. 

“Hey, it’s been a long time,” Bobby greeted playfully as he raised one brow at Hanbin.

“Yeah, hyung. How was the US?” Hanbin asked as he grabbed the sit across of his hyung. And then the rest of the conversation just flowed naturally. They had so many things to talk about but didn’t know where to start. Then, Hanbin realized. He hadn’t seen Junhoe at all since that day they met in the bookstore. When he asked Bobby where Junhoe was, Bobby almost choked on his drink.

 _Why is Hanbin asking for Junhoe?_ He thought, confused.

And not long after Hanbin’s question, the guy just showed up. Junhoe came naturally to their table and asked Hanbin for a high five before he took a sit. Bobby was just there, watching dumbfoundedly.

“Did I miss something while I was at the US?” Bobby asked curiously.

“Miss what?” Junhoe and Hanbin asked back in unison.

“When did you two get so close?” Bobby frowned in disbelief.

“Oh, we met once during the vacation and we hung out. The three of us. Me, Junhoe and Jinan-hyung. Well, I guess that’s how,” Hanbin explained.

“Oh, really?” Bobby shrugged.

“What? Are you jealous? Then you shouldn’t have leave for USA,” Junhoe said as he patted his hyung’s back, amused.

“Shaddup,” Bobby retorted. 

“But Hanbin is really cool though. He knows so much about classic literature,” Junhoe winked to Hanbin before continuing what he was saying.

“So hyung, I was actually going to ask Bobby-hyung to let me meet you. Good thing you’re here with him. I was thinking of inviting you to a play that I got a extra ticket for. So Hanbin-hyung, would you go with me?” Junhoe’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Hanbin in anticipation. How could Hanbin decline the offer after looking Junhoe’s eyes sparkled like that?

“Don’t look at him like that, Junhoe. It almost feels like you’re forcing him to go!” Bobby scolded Junhoe as he hit Junhoe’s shoulder lightly.

“No, it’s okay. It sounds interesting. I’ll go,” Hanbin smiled as he nodded his head.

“Great! Then, can I ask for your number? I’ll text you where and when the play is. It’s on Sunday so you don’t have to worry about class.”

Junhoe took his phone from his pocket and handed it to Hanbin for him to enter his phone number. When he was done, Hanbin returned the phone to Junhoe. That was when they heard a loud thud from the door. It was Jinhwan. He looked exhausted. Half-dead and furious as if he was about to bite someone’s head off. There was no hello, smile, no greetings whatsoever.

“What happened to you, hyung? You looked like you just finished a marathon,” Junhoe teased him but he decided to zip his mouth shut when he saw the glare Jinhwan threw at him.

“Hanbin, can I have your drink? I feel like dying.”

Hanbin nodded and handed his drink to his hyung. 

“What happened, hyung?” he asked.

“Well, you know that event my club was working on? The preparation was today and I had to do double work because apparently, some people skipped out. UGH, I’m really gonna kill those juniors the next time I see them!” Jinhwan complained before he finished Hanbin’s drink and slammed it on the table.

“Calm down, hyung. And you got some chocolate on your lips,” Hanbin commented as he pointed to the spot where the stain was.

“Where?” Jinhwan tried to wipe his mouth with tissue but it wouldn’t go away.

“Let me do it for you,” Hanbin wiped the stain off with his thumb for the older before licking it off. Bobby and Junhoe were just watching, dumbfounded at how intimate Hanbin could be. Hanbin noticed the stare and he looked to the two, confused.

“What?” Hanbin asked.

Hanbin might not noticed it but Jinhwan’s ears instantly turned red and he could only look down afterwards while fidgeting his fingers. Bobby and Junhoe noticed it completely but they decided to just shrug it off. Bobby was a bit jealous, but he also thought it was weird. Jinhwan was weird. The way he looked at Hanbin and the way he reacted to every little things Hanbin did. Bobby was sure that there was a meaning behind Jinhwan’s weird behavior. But he couldn’t be sure before he tried to find out more.

/  
/  
/

It was a nice sunny out on a Friday afternoon. The weather was getting cooler since September was almost on its end. Fall was coming. The day was the perfect time to go on a little walk through the uni’s park. It wasn’t too crowded too since everyone was still in class studying their heads off. But there Bobby was, chilling on a bench beneath the trees.

Bobby heard a voice of someone sobbing while dozing off which spring him back to life when he heard it. At first, he thought maybe it was just his imagination but he heard it again. And this time, he also heard a familiar voice. A voice that he loved. There was no way Bobby wouldn’t recognise the voice. “Hanbin?” he called out in low volume.

He stood up and walked around to check where the voice come from.

Who’s crying? And why is Hanbin with them? Bobby couldn’t help but be curious. Not far from the bench he was on, behind a wall, there he found where the voices came from. It was really Hanbin and the one crying was Jinhwan. The atmosphere looked heavy so he didn’t dare to disturb them and decided to watch them from behind the wall. He couldn’t help but be curious.

“Hyung, it’s gonna be okay. I’m sure she’s fine. Don’t worry so much. I’ll be here with you,” Hanbin tried to calm crying Jinhwan.

Jinhwan had always been a crybaby. He received a phone call not too long ago from his older sister and was told that his mother collapsed from exhaustion. She insisted that Jinhwan didn’t have to come home because the doctor said she just needed some rest. But it was a real shock for Jinhwan and he couldn’t help but be restless.

When crying, Jinhwan looked smaller than usual to Hanbin. It made him feel like he had to have his hyung cry in his arms while caressing Jinhwan’s back gently like how his hyung used to comfort him when he was still a small child. Hanbin smiled slightly at the memory.

Even when Jinhwan had stopped crying, he refused to let go off Hanbin. He wanted to stay like that until he calmed down. Hanbin didn’t mind though. Anything for his hyung.

Bobby though, saw it again. He had a clear side view of Jinhwan and he was sure that the latter’s ears were red. He couldn’t be more sure now. 

_Jinhwan-hyung likes Hanbin._ Bobby muttered.

Bobby suddenly felt like he shouldn’t be watching and ran off somewhere else. Somewhere empty to help him process the whole newfound information. It wasn’t too shocking for him though. Jinhwan was being very obvious. The glares, the blushes and all the questions he always gave Hanbin. 

Bobby was getting antsy on whether or not Hanbin knew about Jinhwan and what thought the latter had on it. He knew how close the two of them were and he was scared that he would lose Hanbin.

 _Does Hanbin even know though?_ Bobby clearly needed someone to talk to and he decided to call a dongsaeng of his, Donghyuk. He was always a good listener. Maybe, just maybe, he could give Bobby a good advice and helped him clear his head.

/  
/  
/

Bobby gave Donghyuk a call before he left his class and headed to his dongsaeng’s apartment. He brought some drinks and snacks as gifts. He wasn’t always so considerate but since Donghyuk was doing him a favour of listening to his problems without telling Junhoe afterwards, Bobby thought maybe a little bribe would be necessary. Just in case.

Bobby and Donghyuk went way back. Donghyuk was a junior of his at Bobby’s high school. They were at the same club and he remembered fondly how Donghyuk always looked up to him. That was until Donghyuk entered his rebellious phase and started to push Bobby away. But everything had been fine since both graduated from school. They became best friends and close bickering brothers.

Once Bobby got to the apartment, he pressed the doorbell. It didn’t take long until the door opened. But the person at the door wasn’t Donghyuk. It was someone he knew very well but he didn’t expect this friend to be at his dongsaeng’s place. They looked at each other, both a little surprised. Bobby decided to speak up first.

“Yunhyeung? What are you doing here?” Bobby asked, as he pointed his friend with a surprised smile.

“Well, I live next door. How about you? What are you doing here?” Yunhyeung asked back as if trying to avoid the question. Before Bobby could answer, a loud voice came from inside the room.

“Hyung, why are you taking so long?” Donghyuk came up to the door and saw Bobby.

“Oh…” He mumbled after.

“Oh? Didn’t I tell you this afternoon that I was gonna come tonight?” Bobby confronted his dongsaeng in disbelief. He had his arms folded on his chest. Donghyuk could only scratched his head with an awkward smile while avoiding Bobby’s glare. He really did forgot about Bobby. Yunhyeong could only watch them, not knowing what was going on.

“Donghyuk, you know Bobby?” Yunhyeong asked.

“Yeah, we went way back. We went to the same high school,” he explained. 

Yunhyeong only shrugged in return. The meeting was unexpected to Donghyuk. He knew that Yunhyeong was a classmate of his hyung. He knew they were close. He came to know him when he saw the latter with Bobby. Donghyuk was interested. A cheery, optimistic and old-fashion guy, just about his type. That was why he approached Yunhyeong without second thought. Of course, he didn’t want his hyung to find out. He knew his hyung would only tease him for it. He could see that his hyung was already sneering.

“Umm, if you guys have something to talk about, I can just go.” Yunhyeong was dense, but he wasn’t stupid enough not to read between the lines.

“No, I can’t do that to you, hyung!” Donghyuk exclaimed. He held on Yunhyeong ’s hand as he stopped him from leaving. Bobby was dumbfounded.

“No, he’s going. My bad, Yun. But we really have something we have to talk about. Bye,” Bobby pulled Yunhyeong towards him before letting go and waved his hand to his friend with his annoying grin.

“Bobby, you’re really horrible, you know that?” Yunhyeong commented. He didn’t mean it in a bad way. They were close enough to know that at least.

“You better treat me for lunch tomorrow,” his friend said before leaving for his apartment next door. 

“I’m really sorry, hyung!” Donghyuk shouted with an apologetic look as he bowed down to Yunhyeong. He really did feel sorry. And he was mad at Bobby for ruining his movie date.

After Bobby made sure that Yunhyeong had gone in to his apartment, he shoved his dongsaeng into the room and closed the door. He walked to the living room, put the stuff he bought at the table and threw himself at the long sofa as if it was his own house. He had knew for long that Donghyuk was interested in guys but he didn’t know he would target a friend of his. He laughed at the thought.

“Comfortable, aren’t you? After ruining my chance,” Donghyuk grumbled as he sit himself at the sofa across where Bobby was sitting.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ll make it up to you, okay? I’ll set you guys a nice dinner date but only after help me first,” Bobby grinned with a wide toothy grin. Donghyuk only glared at him in silence.

“What the hell do you want me to help with anyway?”  
Donghyuk asked as he reached for the snack that Bobby brought at the table.

“Just a situation,” Bobby mumbled as he closed his eyes and covered his face with a pillow.

“What kind?” Donghyuk asked curiously.

“Well, there’s a friend of mine who likes this girl but he found out that she has a childhood friend who is always glued up to her and the guy likes her too. This friend was asking me what he should do. What do you think he should do?” Bobby explained the whole situation briefly as he sit straight. But for some reason, he was avoiding Donghyuk’s eyes.

Donghyuk knew that his hyung was trying to be serious. He also knew about the overused ‘there’s a friend of mine’ scenario. It wasn’t hard for him to know that his hyung was just actually talking about himself. He wanted to laugh but seeing the uneasy look at the elder’s eyes, he understood that it wasn’t the right time.

“Does this girl has feelings for her friend too?” Donghyuk questioned as he put snacks in his mouth.

“Probably no, so far. But it might just happen right? They are like always together 24/7,” Bobby exclaimed.

“Why does the other guy even matter to your friend anyway? If he likes the girl, focus on her. Not on her friend. As long as they are just friends, your friend still have a chance, right? Am I wrong?” Donghyuk answered with no hesitation.

“But…” Bobby muttered before he was cut off.

“Why are you hesitating for? If you hesitate, you’ll just gonna miss your chance,” Donghyuk confronted him.

“Well, he. Um.. kinda scares me,” Bobby replied as he threw his body back to the sofa, hugging the pillow.

“He’s not necessarily scary but he just knows his way with words. I just don’t wanna mess with him, especially if I want to get this girl. I feel like I have to get his blessings. Or not, I won’t get anywhere,” Bobby continued.

“Then talk to the friend. Confront him. Tell him that you’re serious.”

“You think so too?” Bobby was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. But if he really wanted to be with Hanbin, he would need to do it sooner or later. He covered his face with the pillow and sighed loudly, a deep one this time. He had his eyes closed. He was ready for a nap.

“You know, you never came to me for romantic advice. So, are you finally interested in someone after all this time?” Donghyuk continued with his snack.

“Yeah…” Bobby mumbled.

“Wow, what is this miracle?” Donghyuk laughed a short teasing one. “And you’re not even gonna tell June. Really, hyung?” 

“Not yet. He kinda gave up on finding out too, so it kinda helped me out a lot,” Bobby, still mumbling with his face covered by the pillow.

“If you say so, hyung,” Donghyuk replied as he ate the last chip from the snack on his hand. He stood up and headed to the trash bin.

Not long after, Bobby’s phone rang. Bobby was struggling to reach out for his phone in his pocket and when he finally pulled it out, it just fell to the floor. That was when Donghyuk who was passing by, noticed the phone and picked it up. Only to see the name of the caller was Hanbin with a heart at the back of the contact name. He knew that Bobby wasn’t the type who would put a meaningless heart on a contact name just for fun.

“So the girl you said you liked, IS A GUY?” Donghyuk yelled in disbelief. He was a bit amused. 

Bobby spring back up, fully awake, very flustered when he heard what Donghyuk said before snatching the phone away from the latter’s hand and putting it back in to his pocket.

“Well, this is interesting. Five years of dating, all the girls you dated without love and finally you fell in love with a guy, huh?” Donghyuk couldn’t help but mock Bobby for it. He still remembered how his hyung was the only one who knew and accepted him for his sexual preference. He loved his hyung for it. Well, in a brotherly way.

“Ah~ Just shut up…” Bobby exclaimed.

Bobby collapsed at the sofa again. This time with his face facing down and his face stuffed on the pillow. Donghyuk sit on the whatever space left on the sofa Bobby was laying on. He put his hand on his hyung’s shoulders and said, “Well, it’s about time.”

Donghyuk’s voice was soft and he was happy for his hyung. He couldn’t believe a day when his hyung would say that he was in love finally came. He was happy for Bobby. 

That night, Bobby didn’t go home. He fell asleep immediately at the sofa. Donghyuk wasn’t too heartless to wake his hyung up. He looked so calm and smiley as he was sleeping as if he was seeing a happy dream.

Donghyuk put on a spare blanket on his hyung and went to bed himself. He didn’t forget to message Yunhyeong goodnight before.

/  
/  
/

A few days later and Bobby had called Jinhwan to meet him alone. He wanted Jinhwan to understand that his feelings for Hanbin was real. Jinhwan, on the other hand, already had a clue about what Bobby was going to tell him. He thought of what he was going to say but his mind just went blank.

Bobby waited for Jinhwan at the same spot where he spotted Hanbin and Jinhwan together last time. It was still 8 am so the park was empty. The sky was cloudy. Thanks to it, it was very breezy. Bobby sat at the bench as he closed his eyes to feel the wind. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

“Bobby.” It was Jinhwan.

“Hyung, good. You came,” Bobby immediately stood up and face Jinhwan. He didn’t want to waste any time.

“What is it that you wanna talk about?” Jinhwan asked as if he knew nothing.

“Well, I have something to tell you. Something regarding Hanbin,” Bobby spoke carefully. Jinhwan was only there with his arms folded in front of his chest. Eyes, undisturbed and calm as he looked straight to Bobby’s pupil. 

“Just say it,” Jinhwan replied.

“I like Hanbin.”

Jinhwan was expecting it but he still flinched when the guy in front of him actually said it to him.

“And I know that you do too,” Bobby continued. 

That one kind of hit hard on Jinhwan’s heart. His stare started to waver and his fingers secretly moving uneasily. 

But saying it really lifted a really big burden off Bobby’s chest.

“Why do you say that?” Jinhwan asked, trying to stay as composed as he could.

“I know. The way you look at him, the way you react to every things he does and the way you do things for him,” Bobby answered.

“I would know cause I also feel the same too,” Bobby finished off. 

“Let’s say if what you’re saying is true, what are you gonna do about it?” Jinhwan confronted him.

“Nothing. I just wanted you to know, that I’m not gonna hold back like how you are,” Bobby retorted.

The atmosphere was getting tenser. Especially with the clouds getting closer and thunders heard.

“Okay, then. I guess we’re done here, right?” Jinhwan asked before he turned his back to Bobby, ready to walk away but he was stopped by the Bobby’s words.

“Why hide it?” Bobby raised his voice slightly. He was a bit angry as he couldn’t understand Jinhwan.

“Why are you so afraid to love him? Why are you being a coward but you can’t let go of him either?” he continued.

Jinhwan angrily turned back again. He took steps closer to Bobby and raised his face to look at the latter’s eyes. 

Jinhwan’s eyes were red. Sad but angry. He was ready to cry. Bobby could feel all the emotions the hyung was feeling at the moment and his mind just went blank in instance. Feelings that couldn’t be explain in words. He might just said something he shouldn’t have, but he knew he shouldn’t apologize.

“Because I…” Jinhwan’s voice trembled as he talked. Bobby could hear sobs were already leaking out in the latter’s voice. 

Unable to talk any further, Jinhwan turned back and quickly left the place. Leaving Bobby all alone. Bobby felt like he just killed someone. He regretted running his mouth without knowing any better. Bobby didn’t have class that day so he decided to go home for the day. For the rest of the day, he could only stay at his room and distract himself from the incident. 

Hanbin, who was left with unanswered chats by Bobby and a cold shoulder from Jinhwan all day, was confused. He felt a bit lonely. Because for the first time ever, no one was there to ask whether he had finished class or not, to nag him not to skip his meals. It just came to him that he thought of them both very dearly. He missed both of his hyungs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long chapter after chapter 3. It's a bit long and messy lol Comments are very welcome. Thank you!


	5. If Only He Knows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinhwan never had anyone he could talk about his feelings before. Years of hiding made him adapted to the pain. Maybe it was that pain that brought Junhoe and Jinhwan together...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is focused on Jinhwan as I want to settled Jinhwan's plot before continuing with Double B :) Happy New Year! Thank you!

A day passed after the incident. Even after a good night sleep, the red eyes Jinhwan had showed him was still appearing on his mind. Bobby didn’t want to make anyone cry. He didn’t want to cause a bad blood with the guy. He just wanted him to know and he wanted to know why Jinhwan couldn’t just be true to his own feelings. But what done is done.

Bobby woke up from his bed and took his phone. It was already 7 am. He had morning lecture that day and didn’t want to be late for it so he quickly went to the bathroom for a shower. He took a purple hoodie and a ripped jeans from his wardrobe. Briefly combed his hair before he went out to the living room. Junhoe had afternoon class that day so his morning was pleasantly quiet. He picked up his backpack, grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter, then left the apartment.

On the way to the campus, he heard someone called his name from behind. Bobby turned around and smiled instantly. It was Hanbin… and Jinhwan was just behind the younger boy. Bobby’s smile faltered for a second. He waited for Hanbin and Jinhwan who was walking fast to catch up to him and took the time to calm himself down.

“Morning, hyung!” Hanbin greeted with a smile.

“Morning, you two,” Bobby greeted him back. But nothing from Jinhwan.

“Hyung, I sent you some texts to you yesterday but you didn’t reply at all. Were you busy?” Hanbin asked. He was afraid that he was just pestering his hyung. He was getting antsy all day but he didn’t have the courage to call the older.

“Oh, y-yeah. I was busy. Sorry…” Bobby wasn’t planning to ignore it at all but he was too out of it that he forgotten that he had some notifications on his phone.

“Oh, it’s okay then,” Hanbin shrugged it off. 

As the three of them walked, they ran into Yunhyeong who came from the other direction. Bobby and him were classmate after all. They were going to the same class. It had been long since Hanbin saw this one hyung of his so he called out to Yunhyeong who was currently yawning a big one at the moment.

“Yunhyeung-hyung!” Hanbin called out as he ran to the latter, leaving the awkward pair behind. Bobby decided to use the chance to apologize.

“Um, hyung. I know you probably won’t forgive me but I want to say I’m sorry for hurting your feelings. It wasn’t my intention to hurt you at all. But I love Hanbin and I wanted you to know that. And I won’t apologize for that one. I want you to understand too, that it’s better to fail trying than not trying at all,” Bobby talked as he watched Hanbin from afar. He meant what he said and he hoped that Jinhwan could understand what he was trying to say.

“Save your apologies. You can do whatever you want. But if you hurt even a single hair on him, I’ll make sure you regret it forever,” Jinhwan responded coldly before he looked at Bobby with a cold smile and started walking faster to catch up to Hanbin and Yunhyeong who was walking ahead of them.

Bobby stopped at his track. Maybe there was no helping it. Maybe Jinhwan was just meant to hate him and he’s deserved to be hate. He was just a stranger who suddenly showed up and went between the two friends. He sighed. Jinhwan was acting differently that day. He was smiling but something was off. He looked fine but somewhat stiff with his expression. 

Jinhwan was holding back something. Because unlike Bobby, he didn’t have anyone to share with. Maybe it was about time he found himself a friend that he could talk to freely. Maybe Yunhyeong? But Yunhyeong knew Hanbin and him too well. That was why he could never talk honestly. He needed someone who was completely different, new.

/  
/  
/

Class ended for Jinhwan for the day and he went to the cafe, hoping he would be able to unwind himself. He needed a break from everything. It was not his first time feeling like this so he knew exactly how to deal with it. A time alone was in order. But when he entered the cafe, he was already cornered by a rather loud friend. He sighed in instance.

“Oh, Jinan-hyung!!” Junhoe yelled as he waved his hand to Jinhwan. When did Junhoe and him got this close? He only remembered accompanying Hanbin and Junhoe that one time during the holiday and they met and hung out a few times at the cafe together with Bobby and Hanbin, but that was about it as long as he could remember. 

Jinhwan waved back awkwardly.

After getting his hot coffee, Jinhwan didn’t go to sit with Junhoe. He needed some quiet and he felt like they were not close enough for him to approach him yet. But Junhoe didn’t think so and he moved to a sit beside Jinhwan immediately.

“What do you want, June?” Jinhwan asked curtly with a tired stare.

“Hyung, you okay? You looked tired. You usually look all smiley. You’re not Hanbin but you’re becoming like him,” Junhoe joked slightly, earning himself a sharp glare. “I’m just kidding, hyung. But really what’s wrong? If you like to, I can always listen. I might not look like it but I give out good advice,” Junhoe continued and shined his confident smile toward the hyung.

Jinhwan felt lost. Not knowing if telling Junhoe would be a good choice but he needed someone to talk to. It could be anyone. It didn’t have to be Junhoe. As long as the person was someone who didn’t know much about Hanbin and him. 

“If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone? Not Bobby, not even Hanbin.” Jinhwan spoke slowly and clearly as he looked at Junhoe’s eyes intently.

“Of course. I’m good at that,” Junhoe smiled.

“But not here,” Jinhwan muttered.

After they had their coffee in silence, they went to the library to a secluded area that was rarely passed by the students. They sat at the sofa side by side and started talking in low volume.

“I like Hanbin,” Jinhwan spoke up first to break the silence. 

Junhoe wasn’t expecting that. He knew that Jinhwan probably had a thing for Hanbin but he didn’t think he was going to tell him this easily.

“But?” Junhoe questioned, expecting more to the problem. He was being serious for a change. No goofy smile, just one calm Junhoe at the service.

“I’ve known him all my life. He was just a baby when I first met him. We would always play together and his mom would always ask me to take care of him. We went to the same school and always spent our times together so I kinda got attached to him. I fell in love with him during my second year of high school. He was just still a middle schooler then. But I hated feeling the way I did then,” Jinhwan’s voice turned darker.

“We were always like a family and my feelings made me felt disgusted with myself. The more I struggle, the deeper I fell. But I couldn’t seem to handle the thought of losing someone so I did nothing about my feelings. Kept it hidden all this years. But now it seems like I’m being forced to face it and I don’t know what to do,” Jinhwan continued. Junhoe could only listen in silent.

Jinhwan’s eyes wandered to the distance. His eyes were glistening with tears. He had a complication with love. It hurt him to love someone. Even though he had love Hanbin for a long time, he was afraid that he might hurt him. The idea of dating scarred him. Dating would always end in a break-up and that scared him. He didn’t want to lose Hanbin too. That was why he never thought of confessing. The issue seemed so simple but it was never that simple to him.

Keeping his feelings hidden was far easier because Hanbin wouldn’t get hurt. He didn’t really care if he was the one who was hurting. He was used to it by then. So even if he couldn’t have him, at least he still could keep Hanbin close. He was fine, or so he thought. 

Now that he was faced with Bobby, suddenly, he felt like he was slowly losing himself. But he wanted to stay strong, he knew he would lose Hanbin sooner or later. But he never was ready for it.

“Do you know what it feels like to love someone but unable to act upon it because you’re scared of losing them?” Jinhwan asked with hoarse voice while holding his tears back.

“Hyung, do you want to cry?” Junhoe asked as he put his hand on the hyung’s back and patted it gently. He knew that there was something else Jinhwan wasn’t telling him but he didn’t want to force him. 

Jinhwan put his head on Junhoe’s shoulder and cried. He had been keeping it in since yesterday. He couldn’t cry yesterday because all of the eyes around him. He was glad that he finally got to let it all out. For the first time, he was glad he met Junhoe. He was glad someone was there for him.

/  
/  
/

It was already 4 pm when Jinhwan parted with Junhoe, Junhoe skipped all his classes that day for his hyung. Jinhwan scolded him when he found out but Junhoe said that he would regret it if he did leave Jinhwan alone. Hearing that, Jinhwan got a bit flustered and his cheeks were tinted by little red. 

His eyes were barely dried from all the crying he did but Jinhwan decided to go home anyway. When he entered the room Hanbin was there, working on something on his sketchbook at the living room.

“I’m back,” Jinhwan greeted.

“Hyung, you’re back,” Hanbin looked at the direction of the door when he heard Jinhwan’s voice.

“Why are you working here?” Jinhwan asked. Because Hanbin always did his work in his room, alone. He approached Hanbin who was working at the dining table and took a peak on what he was doing. He took a sit beside.

“Oh, Bobby-hyung was just here. He had me companied all day today. He said he was sorry for ignoring me all day yesterday,” Hanbin answered as he smiled. He looked happy. Jinhwan wasn’t surprised though. What did he expect?

“And I was waiting for you…” 

Hanbin smiled to Jinhwan. The smile got his heart throbbed in pain for a moment. 

“Hyung, I want to tell you something and I want you to be the first one who knows this,” Hanbin continued as he closed the sketchbook he was drawing on and looked at Jinhwan with a smile.

“I like Bobby-hyung,” Hanbin said. 

Jinhwan’s heart broke for a moment to be honest. He wasn’t sad but he couldn’t exactly be happy either. He was angry, mostly at himself. He could only force a smile for Hanbin and said, “I’m happy for you.” 

“Hyung, you okay? Did I surprise you?” Hanbin panicked when he saw a hint of sadness in Jinhwan’s face..

“Hyung? I…”

It was probably Hanbin first time being in love. He didn’t want to ruin it for him. But he couldn’t stay very long and he certainly left with nothing to say. He was barely on the verge of tears again.

“No, I’m okay.” 

Jinhwan smiled with tears on his eyes. This time he couldn’t hold it in. He didn’t care if Hanbin was right there to see it or not. He gave up.

Jinhwan decided to leave the apartment again immediately. He lied to Hanbin, saying that his eyes had been hurting a lot and he wanted to breath in some fresh air, hoping that Hanbin would fall for his fake excuse. 

He didn’t know where to go exactly but he just left. He pressed on the elevator button and waited for the elevator to arrive at his floor. He pressed it again and again impatiently when it took too long. Jinhwan wanted to run away so badly.

The moment the door to the elevator opened, he saw Junhoe inside. He was just back from the campus after parting with Jinhwan earlier. He was shocked to see the tears coming from the Jinhwan’s eyes.

“Hyung, you okay?” Junhoe lost count on how many times he had asked Jinhwan the same question only in one day. He was concerned but before he could reach out to his hyung, Jinhwan was already rushing towards him. He circled his arms around Junhoe, digging his crying face on the Junhoe’s shoulder. 

It didn’t take long for Junhoe to find out that it was about Hanbin. He decided to hug his hyung back without asking anything. He put one hand on his back and the other ruffling his hyung’s hair gently, hoping it would calm him down.

It was nobody’s fault. 

“If only he knows that you’re probably the sweetest human being that anyone can ever know, hyung. But at least, I know...” Junhoe whispered.


	6. I know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanbin isn't that dense. Jinhwan means much more to him but Jinhwan never notices. Junhoe does though. Junhoe probably knows more about things than Bobby, Jinhwan and Hanbin themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating after a long time. This chapter kinda happened at the same timeline as the previous one. I hope it doesn't get confusing! Lmao I don't know how to continue this au now but heck, I've got nothing to lose

The other day, after getting into the campus, just right before class was starting, Bobby asked Hanbin to hang out together after class. Bobby wanted to apologize for ignoring Hanbin’s texts the day before and he was willing to do whatever the latter wanted. And that was how Bobby ended up companying Hanbin at the latter’s apartment. He was nervous because Jinhwan might be there too but fortunately for him, the hyung was with Junhoe all day that day. Not that he was aware of it.

It started out pretty weird for Bobby. The moment he entered the room, Hanbin had asked him to sit down at the sofa and brought him a glass of water. Then, Hanbin grabbed his sketchbook and sat at the sofa across him and started drawing something. He would steal a glance or two of Bobby every now and then but that was about it. No words, no nothing.

Hanbin even asked him not to talk or move and when he tried to talk, Hanbin would only sush him while focusing on his sketchbook. He wasn’t even allowed to play his phone. He didn’t understand what Hanbin wanted to do but he decided to just listen and follow his order. It took almost 30 minutes of silence before Bobby was almost bored to death and started talking again.

“Are you sure this is all you want to do today? I mean I did say I’m willing to do whatever you want me to but do you just want me to sit here all day today?” Bobby asked in confusion.

“Hmm? Yeah…” Hanbin hummed, not even listening on what Bobby was saying at all.

“Oh, okay. You’re not even listening to me now,” Bobby pouted.

“Hyung, don’t pout. You’re gonna ruin the picture,” Hanbin looked up and frowned at Bobby.

“What have you been drawing anyway?” Bobby got up in curiosity and took a step forward to Hanbin.

“Hyung! I told you not to move!” Hanbin complained like a child throwing a tantrum. Bobby put his hands in the air in surrender as he walked back to the sofa. 

Finally, it hit him.

“Wait, are you drawing me?”

“Was it not obvious enough?” Hanbin finally looked up to his hyung with a childish smile.

“Why me though? I’m just me,” Bobby frowned.

“Hyung, you’re not just you. You’re model, aren’t you? Why are you getting so worked up about it?” Hanbin retorted.

Hanbin didn’t plan it from the start. But the moment they entered the apartment, Hanbin saw the perfect light coming through the window and the sketchbook on the living room table. It was the perfect mood to draw and Bobby was just happened to be there to be his model. With the light hitting his messy purple hair, the view was perfect for Hanbin.

“Well basically, I only part-time as a model for a small retail that a hyung I know owned,” Bobby explained.

“Whatever you say, hyung,” Hanbin laughed.

“Do I look okay?” Bobby joked as he raised his eyebrow at Hanbin playfully and Hanbin only rolled his eyes in response.

“Perfect, hyung. Now please stop moving. I’m gonna be done in a few more,” Hanbin said, focusing himself back on his sketchbook.

Bobby sighed lightly. He tried to be as quiet as possible but quiet was certainly not made for him. He kept fidgeting and it kinda irked Hanbin but he knew how Bobby was. It was amusing to see his hyung troubled. Bobby was being cute. Hanbin could only hold back his laughter.

Bobby decided to let his eyes wander around the living room to clunch his boredom. The room was similar to his but it was to be expected since they lived in the same apartment. Even the furnitures were the same. The only difference was that Hanbin and Jinhwan’s apartment was certainly neater compared to Junhoe and his. His eyes suddenly wandered to a small photo displayed on the kitchen counter. It was a family picture. A picture of a parent with their son and a baby on the arms of the mother.

“Is that your family on the counter?” Bobby asked as he tried to be careful not to move.

“Yeah,” Hanbin mumbled.

“You have a younger brother?”

“A younger sister,” Hanbin corrected him. But nothing could seem to break his focus. Bobby was almost felt jealous towards the drawing of himself Hanbin was giving his undivided attention to.

“Is she also as cute as you are?” Bobby joked.

“...Please hands off my little sister,” Hanbin frowned. He immediately stopped his hand and looked up at Bobby in annoyance.

“What? I’m just kidding. I never even see her before and I’m certainly not into little girls,” Bobby laughed heartily before continuing. 

“How about you? Do you have anyone you’re interested in right now?”

Bobby’s heart was pounding hard when he asked this. He was waiting eagerly for the answer.

“Yeah, there is,” Hanbin answered in confidence as he got his hand back on his sketchbook.

“Really? Is it someone I know?” 

Bobby didn't expect the younger boy would actually say yes. It made him felt anxious. He was hopeful for the person to be him but he was also scared that it might be someone else.

“I doubt it,” Hanbin replied as he stole a glance, smirked at his hyung and continued moving his hand.

“Well, you never know,” Bobby shrugged.

Hanbin just stayed quiet.

“If you don’t want to tell me, it’s okay,” Bobby said before silencing himself again. Not long after, Hanbin finally let go of his pencil and looked at Bobby satisfyingly.

“Okay! I’m done,” Hanbin said happily. Bobby let out a sigh of relief at that.

“I can finally breathe again. I just noticed it. But you are secretly enjoying watching me suffer, huh?” Bobby complained before he moved to sit beside Hanbin as he looked at the drawing.

“Wow, I look good, don’t I?” Bobby commented pridefully.

“What? I did a drawing of you and that is what you’re gonna comment on?” Hanbin looked at his hyung in disbelief. Bobby only laughed at him.

“I’m joking. You’re really good. I like it,” Bobby said as he ruffled the hair of the younger boy. 

The drawing was truly a masterpiece in his eyes. Not because he was on it, but because of every detail that Hanbin chose to focus on. He never dreamt of seeing a drawn portrait of himself in a lifetime, and to be drawn by someone he had been crushing on. It was really cliched but it was like a dream to him. 

Bobby moved his eyes from the portrait and looked at Hanbin’s eyes. They were sparkling and he also loved the child-like smile that was beaming through Hanbin’s lips. Compared to anything, Hanbin was still the most beautiful person he could ever lay his eyes upon. He couldn’t take his eyes away from the him.

“What?” Hanbin asked bashfully when he finally noticed the look that Bobby had been giving him for a while.

The atmosphere was just right. It was quiet and the room was dim with only the light from the sun shining through the window curtains. Somehow the faint light made Bobby’s eyes fixated on Hanbin more. He stared from the boy’s eyes to his lips and he felt the urge to touch him.

Hanbin closed his eyes, as if he was expecting something. He didn’t know why to be exact what it was but deep down, he knew. Bobby brought his face closer to Hanbin’s. And suddenly, Hanbin felt something brushing through his lips softly. He didn’t know how to react to the kiss at first. 

Bobby then gently put his arm around Hanbin’s shoulders and kissed him again softly. This time, Hanbin kissed him back. They could hear how hard their heart was beating. 

Hanbin felt the heat that was burning up on his ears and the butterflies in his stomach but he didn’t hate the feeling. They enjoyed the brief moment before they slowly parted. 

Hanbin was the first one to push Bobby away in embarrassment. It was his first kiss after all. 

“What’s wrong?” Bobby asked with his low hoarse voice. He didn’t know what it was but he thought that he might just done something wrong.

“Um, nothing,” Hanbin answered shortly, unable to look at Bobby’s eyes.

“Don’t tell me this is your first kiss?” Bobby teased.

“Bin, look at me,” Bobby whispered softly with his eyes directed only on Hanbin, unwavering and sure. 

He grabbed on Hanbin’s arm gently but Hanbin couldn’t do it. His heart was still beating like crazy. His face was red. And the new nickname his hyung just called him with, just made his heartbeat worsen. He didn’t want to let his hyung see him so shy just from a kiss. He felt like exploding from the embarrassment.

“You didn’t like it that much?” Bobby joked as he nudged at Hanbin. He loved shy Hanbin as much as smiling Hanbin but he knew it wasn’t the right time to fool around. It was the time for him to up his game but first, he had to calm Hanbin down. 

After calming down, Hanbin finally looked at him again. That was when Bobby decided to speak up.

“Hanbin,” Bobby’s voice turned serious for a change.  
“Hanbin, I-”

But Hanbin stopped him.

“Hyung, stop,” Hanbin said as he pushed Bobby away again. He kept his face down again because he knew what his hyung was about to say and his face was red even before Bobby got to say it. But Bobby was obviously not happy about it.

“Why?” he asked as he looked at Hanbin in disappointment.

“Not now,” Hanbin said. He noticed the upset town in Bobby’s voice. But Hanbin was determined.

“Then, when?” Bobby became more confused after Hanbin’s answer.

“There’s something I have to do first before anything. I hope you can understand and forgive me. But I need time,” Hanbin continued. He looked at Bobby’s eyes, sure of what he was saying and feeling. 

Bobby didn’t know what Hanbin meant at first. But when he thought back again, he realized that there was also something he had to do first. And that was to come clean to Junhoe. He kinda did Junhoe wrong when he decided to hide things from him, and even made Donghyuk as his accomplice. They always told each other everything but since he started hiding things from Junhoe, they drifted apart a little. Maybe it was time he came clean to his little brother from another mother.

“Don’t say it like that, Bin. I’ll wait,” Bobby said as caressed Hanbin’s cheek gently. It kind of hurt but he had no choice. 

Hanbin smiled in relief right after and Bobby, unable to repress his feelings any longer, he took Hanbin’s hand and kissed it softly. If he could at least do that much, he didn’t mind waiting for Hanbin as long as Hanbin needed.

The atmosphere got kind of awkward afterwards but Bobby decided to shake it off. If Hanbin wasn’t ready then there was no use pushing him. He just had to wait and do the things he could do first. For example, like befriending Jinhwan. 

Even after he returned to his apartment, the kiss that they shared kept replaying on his mind. He couldn’t forget it. At least he finally knew, that their feelings were mutual. He couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot.

It was still 4 pm.Bobby wanted to wait for Junhoe to talk but he was too feeling too impatient. He decided to play games on his PC as he waited in his bedroom. He was feeling worned out even though he didn’t do that much that day.

/  
/  
/

Hanbin stayed at the living room even after Bobby left. The kiss that Bobby left on his lips and the back of his hand was still there. He could still feel it. It was warm and the feeling made his heart skipped a beat.

He took a sit at the dining table. Again, he opened his sketchbook. He looked at the drawing of Bobby he did earlier and he started smiling like an idiot. He was trying to memorize his every line. 

He was actually waiting for Jinhwan but the hyung was still nowhere to be found. He needed to tell him something important. He wanted Jinhwan to know first before anyone because Jinhwan had always been there all his life. He felt that not telling him and directly jumping right into his feelings seemed wrong. Jinhwan was like a brother to him but he was also his best friend who had supported him all his life.

He opened on a new page of his sketchbook and started drawing his hyung. He was used to draw a portrait of Jinhwan so he already memorized his lines, his best angle and even the frown he liked to make when he was angry. Hanbin laughed at the thought.

Hanbin waited for his hyung in silence. He felt nervous actually, because he never really talked about love to anyone before. Hanbin never experienced love before Bobby. He sighed.

When he heard a sound from the front door, he immediately opened another page of the book, trying to hide the drawing he did of his hyung.

“I’m back,” Jinhwan shouted.

“Hyung, you’re back,” Hanbin looked at the direction of the door when he heard the voice.

“Why are you working here?” Jinhwan asked as he approached Hanbin who was working at the dining table and took a peak on what he was doing and took a sit beside.

“Oh, Bobby-hyung was just here. He had me companied all day today. He said he was sorry for ignoring me all day yesterday,” Hanbin answered with a satisfied smile.

“And I was waiting for you…” 

Hanbin looked at Jinhwan’s eyes, not trying to hide anything. It was time for him to get to the point.

“Hyung, I want to tell you something and I want you to be the first one who knows this,” Hanbin continued as he closed the sketchbook on his hand and looked at Jinhwan with a smile.

“I like Bobby-hyung,” Hanbin said. 

The smile that Hanbin saw from Jinhwan afterwards was awkward. It wasn’t sad but it wasn’t exactly happy either. His smile started to falter too.

“I’m happy for you,” Jinhwan said but Hanbin could hear the hesitation on his hyung’s voice. It was one that he never heard before.

“Hyung, you okay? Did I surprise you?” Hanbin panicked when he saw a hint of sadness in Jinhwan’s face.

“Hyung? I…” Hanbin was crushed when he saw his hyung’s teary eyes. He didn’t know what was wrong or what had gone wrong. Why Jinhwan was crying? And he didn’t know what he should do.

“No, I’m okay.” Jinhwan smiled with tears on his eyes. 

“Hyung… You were crying all day, weren’t you? Why are your eyes all swollen. You know you can tell me anything, right?” Hanbin put his hand on Jinhwan’s before pulling his hyung to his arms and trying to calm him down. Jinhwan just cried. He didn’t want to say anything. He just wanted to feel Hanbin being there.

The feeling Jinhwan felt then was complicated. Honestly, he didn’t know what to think anymore but he didn’t want to take Hanbin’s kindness for granted anymore. When he finally calmed down, Jinhwan pulled away from Hanbin. Hanbin’s eyes were only at him but Jinhwan couldn’t dare to look at Hanbin at all. 

It was quiet before Jinhwan suddenly blurted out.

“Sorry, my eyes were just hurting. I don’t why I’m crying this much today,” Jinhwan said with a forced smile as he rubbed his puffy eyes. He stood up from his chair and walked to the fridge to grab some water. 

Hanbin only watched quietly.

He had knew his hyung for a long time. He knew that Jinhwan never liked someone to point out his weakness. He knew that he should just stay put until Jinhwan was ready to talk himself. But something didn’t feel right that day. He was anxious. Something about Jinhwan was different but he didn’t have enough courage to ask. He never needed to do so for Jinhwan. Hanbin found him hating himself for a moment. He could only clench his fist quietly.

“I’m going out for a while, okay? I just need some fresh air. Don’t worry about me, okay?,” Jinhwan said with his eyes still unable to meet Hanbin’s. He was putting up on a wry smile and his eyes were still red. Hanbin didn’t move an inch as he watched his hyung left.

/  
/  
/

The rest of the night was quiet for Hanbin. He didn’t quite know what happened. Jinhwan left him in his own confusion. When he looked at his phone, he saw the messages Bobby left for him. He sighed at the sight of Bobby’s name. He couldn’t stop thinking about Jinhwan and how the hyung still wasn’t back yet.

He laid on his bed in his dark empty bedroom. He rolled forth and back again on his bed because he just couldn’t sleep.

When he heard a doorbell, he immediately rushed to the front door and opened the door in panic.

“Hyung!” Hanbin blurted out. Just to see it was someone else.

“...Oh, it’s just you.” 

Hanbin went back inside in disappointment. He left the door open for the other to come in.

“Just me? I’m sorry for not being the love your life, hyung,” the other replied in disbelief as he let himself in.

“Don’t you have a class to go to at the morning? What the hell is a high schooler doing outside in the middle of the night?” Hanbin retorted as he threw himself to the sofa at the living room and the other sat on the sofa across him.

“Where’s Jinan-hyung?” the other asked as he looked around, searching for the presence of their missing hyung.

“Who knows, Chanu. I don’t know,” Hanbin answered in annoyance as he look at his phone to check what the time was. Chanwoo just hummed in return. He could see how bad Hanbin was feeling so he decided to avoid asking more.

“Jung Chanwoo. You’re not here just to annoy me, aren’t you? Tell me why you’re here now,” Hanbin dropped his phone at the sofa and stared at Chanwoo, frowning.

“I’m here for Jinan-hyung. He promised me to tutor me tonight,” Chanwoo answered as he flashed an innocent smile at his hyung, hoping that it would loosen the terrifying frown Hanbin had on his forehead.

“Sorry, but he’s not here and I’m not in the mood to entertain you today.” 

Hanbin folded his arms in front of his chest, not even softening for a second and talked flatly as he glared at Chanwoo.

“Okay, okay. I’ll leave!” Chanwoo exclaimed.

Chanwoo raised his arms in surrender as he stood up from the sofa and left for the door. Hanbin followed him from behind in silence.

“Geez, you and your mood swing, hyung. Mark my words, the next time you need my help, I won’t help you, hyung,” Chanwoo continued. Earning himself a kick on the ass.

Chanwoo left the apartment just like that. They didn’t even say goodbye, but it was normal between the two. They had knew each other for years now.

As he headed to the elevator, Hanbin suddenly called out to Chanwoo. He looked back to listen to what his hyung had to say.

“Chanu, if you see Jinan-hyung on your way home, tell me okay!” Hanbin yelled before letting himself in again to his apartment.

Chanwoo shook his head in response before he continued walking to the elevator and pressed the switch. Speaking of the devil. There, he met Jinhwan with Junhoe.

“Hyung!” Chanwoo exclaimed.

“Chanu? What are you doing here at this time?” Jinhwan asked. 

His tears had dried off. Though his eyes were still swollen and Chanwoo realized that. 

Chanwoo was actually the first person who Jinhwan had told about his feelings for Hanbin. Even though he found out accidentally. 

The two of them went way back. Jinhwan was an alumni of Chanwoo’s high school. Same goes for Hanbin and Yunhyeong. He knew Jinhwan from Hanbin and Yunhyeong but he got closer to Jinhwan more than the other two.

“Really, hyung?” Chanwoo looked at the hyung with disbelief and slight disappointment. It took a moment for Jinhwan to remember his promise with the boy.

“OH. Yeah, sorry. I forgot. A lot happened this few days,” Jinhwan apologized with a wry smile as he scratched his head.

“It’s okay. I understand. I can tell,” Chanwoo shrugged.

Junhoe was just there, watching them. Pressing on the button to keep the elevator door opened.

“Hyung, are you going out or not? And you there, are you coming in or not?” Junhoe whined. His finger was starting to feel tired.

“Sorry about that,” Jinhwan laughed as he pinched on Junhoe’s cheek before leaving the elevator.

“Good night, hyung,” Junhoe said with a smile.

“Good night,” Jinhwan looked at Junhoe and smiled back. This time, it was Chanwoo’s turn to watch. It wasn’t hard for him to notice the air between them and he started grinning slightly at Jinhwan. When his hyung noticed it, he hit Chanwoo hardly on the shoulder and walked away.

Chanwoo let himself into the elevator. It was quiet there with Junhoe and him. He noticed that Junhoe had been glaring at him for a while since Jinhwan left.

“Chill, dude. I’m not here to steal your guy away,” Chanwoo joked.

“So your name is Chanu?” Junhoe asked, ignoring Chanwoo’s tease.

“Chanwoo. Jung Chanwoo,” Chanwoo corrected him.

Chanwoo was about Junhoe’s height and he looked cute yet mature. Exactly the type who would fall for Jinhwan, he thought in his mind. Although the way they interacted was childish but Junhoe somehow didn’t like how relax Jinhwan was with Chanwoo. He probably had already fallen for the hyung after that day.

“This is mine. See ya,” Junhoe excused himself out of the elevator.

“The name’s Junhoe by the way.” 

Junhoe turned back to Chanwoo once he stepped out of the elevator and nodded, in time before the elevator’s door closed.

Chanwoo sighed a deep one after. He knew he didn’t do anything yet but he felt somehow tired that night. The drama that he just witnessed wasn’t something he wanted to see, let alone got involved in. He decided to go to Yunhyeong’s for the night because it was too late for him to go home by then.

Hanbin was still there by the door when Jinhwan came back after parting with Chanwoo and Junhoe. Hanbin was fidgeting his fingers, walking forth and back in panic, drenched in cold sweat and his heart was unable to calm down from anxiety. It was already past 11 pm. It was just natural for him to get worried.

The moment he heard the door clicked, he immediately ran to to the hyung and hug him tightly. He was so very worried. Jinhwan was a bit startled by Hanbin’s action.

“Hyung, you know that you matter so much to me, right? You made me worried sick. Please don’t be like this again, okay?” Hanbin whined like a kid as he tighten his arms around Jinhwan.

“I know… Thank you, Hanbin,” Jinhwan chuckled quietly. He couldn’t help but smile. He was happy to hear those words from Hanbin. Even though he knew that Hanbin didn’t mean it like the way he wanted it. 

Just for a moment, he wanted to let himself be drown in bliss. He was happy that Hanbin was just there for him. He was relieved Hanbin didn’t ask anything. He swore to himself that he would tell Hanbin everything in the near future. It was time. It was time for him to learn to love properly.

/  
/  
/

Junhoe went home to his apartment after parting with Chanwoo. There was a lot on his mind too. There was things he needed to get out of his system. Things like what happened today, about Jinhwan and about what he had noticed recently but decided to keep to himself. 

He needed to talk to Bobby. They always needed someone to speak up first before talking heart to heart. And this time, that someone got to be Junhoe himself. He wasn’t used to this kind of talk with his hyung but he had to be ready.

Junhoe took a deep breath before coming into Bobby’s room. And there was Bobby, playing games on his PC. One look and Junhoe knew that his hyung had a great day. He sighed. Gamer Bobby wasn’t exactly his favorite hyung because nothing could distract his concentration from the game once he started playing.

“Bobby-hyung!” Junhoe yelled but no answer.

Bobby wasn’t even wearing his headphone. He should have heard the call. 

“Hyung, I have something to talk to you about!” Junhoe yelled louder.

“...hmm? WHAT? COME AGAIN?” Bobby shouted back. He had trouble listening with many loud noises from his PC and all his mouse clicking. 

Junhoe clicked on his tongue at Bobby’s response and decided to jump directly to the point to grab Bobby’s attention.

“It’s about Hanbin!” Junhoe yelled.

Bobby’s hand froze for a moment. He turned off his computer right that instance and turned his gaming chair to face Junhoe who already seated himself on his bed across the PC table, with his arms folded in front of his chest.

“What is it?” Bobby asked calmly. He was serious for a change. He probably knew that it was the time for him to tell Junhoe everything.

“I know that you like Hanbin,” Junhoe beat him to it.

Bobby sighed loudly. He stood up and moved to sit beside Junhoe. He was fidgeting his finger a bit before he decided to speak up.

“Well, you’re not wrong there,” Bobby commented, mumbling.

“Yeah, I know. What I don’t know is how much you trust me. I mean why hide it from me, hyung?” Junhoe questioned his hyung. His eyes not moving an inch from Bobby. He was not willing to leave before he got answers from Bobby. Honestly, he was a bit disappointed.

“Yeah, I like Hanbin,” Bobby finally confessed as he looked at Junhoe’s eyes calmly, finally made up his mind. He was tired of hiding. When he thought back, he was also confused onto why he was hiding the fact from Junhoe. Maybe he just didn’t find the right chance to tell him yet and before he knew it, he already missed it. Junhoe was already drifting apart.

“Hyung, I’m sorry to say this. But I want Jinan-hyung to smile and I don’t even know why he was crying so hard but he was crying all day, hyung. He didn’t need to tell me why but I at least know that Jinan-hyung likes Hanbin-hyung and I know you know it too,” Junhoe tried to speak as slowly as possible, hoping Bobby would be able to understand.

Junhoe was frowning. He looked sad as he talked about Jinhwan. Bobby noticed it.

“You’re welcome to do whatever you want for Hanbin-hyung, I’ll support you. But if you hurt Jinan-hyung in the process, I won’t let you off so easily.” 

Junhoe was serious this time. Bobby could sense the concern in Junhoe’s expression and voice. But it wasn’t like he wanted to make Jinhwan cry. He just said too much and ended up hurting him. He was sorry but he didn’t know how to explain it to Junhoe.

A brief silence filled the room.

“Hyung, I trust you, you know that right?” Junhoe tried to break the tension ane lighten the heavy atmosphere with his smile as he nudged at his hyung playfully.

“You’re a cheeky bastard, you know that right?” Bobby shrugged at Junhoe’s attempt to cheer him up as he pushed Junhoe’s elbow away. He tried to look annoyed but he still ended up smiling anyway.

“I know, hyung,” Junhoe laughed amusingly in response.

They never really fought before even though they would always argue over trivial stuffs. By talking things out that night, an invisible wall that was distancing the two of them was finally destroyed. Things were back to normal. The night passed peacefully after for Bobby and Junhoe. They spent the rest of the night drinking, talking about stupid stuffs until one of them actually passed out.


End file.
